Abstract
Purpose :
Depression is a common mental health problem in people with visual impairment. Exposure to light might influence the onset of depression in this population The aim of this study was to determine if seasonal variation and sunlight are associated with depression in adults with visual impairment, and if effects differ between: 1) adults who are blind vs. adults who have low vision; 2) adults with different eye diseases and; 3) adults who are sensitive to bright light vs. those who are not.
Methods :
This study consisted of a quantitative analysis of pre-existing data from seven baseline measurements of studies conducted between 2009-2018. People with visual impairment, aged 18 and above, who were recruited from outpatient low vision rehabilitation organizations in the Netherlands were included. Self-reported data on experienced depressive symptoms was combined with information on season and the amount of sunlight that people were exposed to, retrieved from the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. Logistic regression analyses were performed to analyse the data.
Results :
Participants (N=1925) experienced most depressive symptoms in winter (32,8%), followed by summer (27,4%) spring (26,2%), and fall (24,2%). There was a significant difference between the odds to experience depressive symptoms in fall compared to winter (Odds ratio (OR)=0,656, p=0,004). The amount of sunlight was significantly associated with experienced depressive symptoms (OR=0.995, p=0,004). No significant interaction effects were found.
Conclusions :
The results of this study support the hypothesis that seasonal variation and the amount of sunlight are associated with depression in people with visual impairment. [HvdA1] It may be interesting to compare these results with people without visual impairment and look at possibilities for treatment[HvdA2] in future research.
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.